I remember someone mentioning, and I will reaffirm, that all the different teas together have formed this amalgamous scent that permeates each blend, making it a little difficult to get a good idea of how they're really supposed to smell/taste. It's probably especially true for the blends that have been in there for a while. It's actually a very pleasant scent, so it's not something to worry about.

Figure in the Shape of a Cloudby Deidra HendrixThis was the first one I pulled out of the box and was really intrigued by. Maybe it was the strange name (or the mystery that the name was hard to make out, as the ink had nearly worn off the label), but I felt the need to try it first. It smelled awfully sweet-- at first I thought it might have caramel in it, but it actually brewed up to be very... I think robust is the word. Savory too. I really liked it, and was even more surprised when I checked the site to see what was actually in it (banana? I never would have guessed). Would really recommend this one; I don't see a lot of flavored black blends that aren't purely dessert teas.

Cherry Almond by Rebecca YannottiFor round two I went with something a little more predictable from an ingredients standpoint. The almond is really, really strong in this (or that could be the cherry... they've always tasted awfully similar to me). I honestly don't ever remember having a flavored black with this strong of a flavor! When I added a bit of sugar I think I could taste the chocolate just a little. Quite nice overall.

At this point I had a friend over and she assisted me in further taste-testing!

Cranberry Zinger by Nancy RichardsonI actually can't find this one anywhere on the site, perhaps it was taken down? Anyway, we decided to try this one because, "it has a cat on the label!" The title "zinger" sort of reminds us of the Celestial Seasonings fruit herbal blends, which we're not the biggest fans of; but this was clearly a black tea, so we gave it a shot. Personally I'm not huge on cranberry, but I still remember enjoying it; a little tangy and a little sweet. I might have to revisit this one actually as I'm not remembering it terribly well right now, but my friend gave a positive review. I'm a little sad that I can't find it on the site, I'd be curious to know what's in it.

A Hard Smack on the Fanny by Sarah AlmonThis was our favorite of the ones we tried together. I actually managed to guess the three ingredients quite quickly, not that it wasn't terribly difficult as they are all very distinct flavors, but they blended very nicely! I never would have expected lapsang and peppermint to go well together, but it reminded me an awful lot of a smokey (but not too overpowering) english breakfast tea overall with that kick of peppermint. I might have to buy a bag of this for those slow mornings.

De Lime in De Coconut by Sarah AlmonI -love- coconut teas. But on first sip, I'll be honest, I wasn't really sure about it. The flavors tasted a little strange, or maybe just that there was so much flavor that my mind wasn't sure if it was drinking tea, but once my tastebuds realigned themselves with my brain, I realized I really liked it. I'm not sure that it tasted especially tropical to me, but I enjoyed it.

Twilight - Edible Edward by Sarah AlmonNot a huge Twilight fan, but clearly I enjoy teas with strange names. I actually wonder if this baggie was left open in the box as some point, because this tastes exactly like the whole box smells. I couldn't really pick out any defining flavors; it was just overall tea yumminess. Makes me wonder if I left a fine mesh bag of a standard black tea in the box what it might taste like after being in there some weeks, hah.

I'm adding a few blends to the box and I figure I'll review those too, can't hurt, right? I wanted to contribute something without risking duplicates in the box, so I ordered a few things on my "to try" list that seemed fairly obscure and hoped for the best.

Wooden Tiger Chai by Daniel BouchardThis one just sounded weird to me at first-- oriental spice -and- christmas? I ended up really liking it though-- like a very cinnamon-y chai. The cream is noticeable, too.

Cat Lady by Eleanor JusticeYes. I picked this solely because it had a cute label. As I wrote in my review, it pretty much tastes exactly like an old lady's house. You just have to try it to understand. Personally, I love it; my friend was a little iffy about it. Whether you end up liking it or not though, I really think it's worth a try just for the strange and wonderful flavor combo.

Brightcat by Cam Collins....I am not obsessed with cat labels, I swear. This one was actually a little weird-- I picked it because it had mambo in it, which I do love, but after tasting it (believe it or not) I think it would actually be better with any other black tea but mambo! The caramel and the rum are quite nice flavors but then it feels like the mambo is trying to butt in and take over the spotlight, rather than blending together smoothly. That said, this is still the only blend I've gone back for seconds on. It's just very interesting to drink, like a catfight in my mouth. But not as painful (okay, maybe I'm not a good reviewer, moving on!).

Wedding Cake by Tanya LairdThis one was by request and on my To Try list, so it worked out nicely. Personally though, it wasn't one of my favorites. It does seem to live up to its name, and would make a lovely dessert tea overall, but it just seemed rather... one-dimensional. Maybe I would drink this if I was craving cake, but it's just not what I personally look for in a tea.

More to come, most likely! This is the most fun I've had drinking tea in a long time

Alright, here is a current list of teas in this giant box of goodies... I am listing only the information found on the packaging so if your name isn't o. It I will not have your name listed below. Thanks!

Wow, that's a lot of tea and it doesn't even include my additions yet. Can't wait to dig in and write reviews. I plan on including a link for my review on the teas I drink here and it will take you to Steepster where you read them.

Well, I think I have all these teas figured out. I do not plan on trying them all. I have picked out what I want and not I will add some of mine. Once I have done that I plan on shipping it out to the next person. Hopefully I can get these out this week.